DEVELOP

Develop a disposition of inquiry and critical reflection to understand and develop your practice

Although I wouldn’t say that I am in my optimal “inquiry mode,” I do feel that since I am fairly fresh out of PDP, my mind has been recently attuned to teacher inquiry and lines of questioning regarding my own practice. I feel that I am a critical and reflective thinker in my own life and that this naturally continues into my professional life. I ask myself regularly if there is a better way I could be doing something, if there is another approach I could take towards a particular matter. Lately, my line of thinking has been surrounding students meeting their IEP goals and how to support them in taking ownership of their learning and understanding their needs in a way that enables them to advocate for the type of learning they need.

I feel that often students use their IEP as a reason as to why they can’t do something rather than a tool for finding ways to be able to do something. For example, it seems to me, that students are more aware of what the adaptations they are entitled to far more than they are aware of what their goals and objectives are and what tools they have to meet them. Perhaps it is up to me to do something more to make their IEP more accessible.

A disposition towards inquiry isn’t always enough though, an intention to follow those curiosities is also needed, which is where I feel I need to grow! It know that it is easy to fall into routine and stale forms of teaching and learning if one isn’t too careful. My hope for myself is that I fall into an inquiry journey that feels natural and relevant to my immediate practice – whatever that may be. I imagine it might be around building school community, teaching self-advocacy, or fostering critical thinking and engagement.